Norwegian freelance journalist held in Yemen
New York, April 9, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for the immediate release of Raymond Lidal, a Norwegian freelance journalist who has been detained in Yemen for nearly two weeks, according to his friend and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Lidal’s case was not publicly reported until Wednesday night.
French-language global TV network TV5Monde hacked
New York, April 9, 2015–The French-language global TV network TV5Monde was disrupted for three hours on Wednesday night by hackers claiming to belong to the militant group Islamic State, according to news reports. The hackers seized control of 11 channels as well as the network’s website and social media accounts, the reports said. TV5Monde restored…
CPJ concerned by arrest of Bangladeshi journalist and his treatment in custody
New York, April 1, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists today calls on Bangladeshi authorities to release a detained journalist and probe allegations that he was mistreated in custody. Mizanur Rahman has been in jail since March 17, according to news reports and Rahman’s coworker.
Second blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh
March 30, 2015, New York–Bangladeshi authorities should investigate the murder of a blogger in the capital, Dhaka, and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Washiqur Rahman Babu is the second blogger to be hacked to death in public in Bangladesh in the past five weeks.
A year after Raza Rumi attack, little change for Pakistan’s beleaguered press
One year ago Raza Rumi, a TV anchor and widely-respected analyst in Pakistan, narrowly escaped death when gunmen opened fire on his car in an attack that killed his driver, Mustafa. When I wrote about the March 28 attack, the fourth on the Express Group in eight months that had left four people dead, I…
Mission Journal: Bangladeshi press reined in as Hasina exerts authority
Matiur Rahman Chowdhury has been the host of “Frontline,” a popular Bangla-language news show, for five years. Aired live three times a week, the show gained notoriety for bringing politicians, members of civil society, and journalists together to discuss current affairs. Chowdhury distinguished himself from many of his counterparts with his soft-spoken but firm demeanor…
Syria anniversary shows need for more news outlets to step up
It started as a street protest against President Bashar al-Assad. Ordinary citizens took out their smart phones to record the demonstrations that quickly spread. Four years and 220,000 dead later, the Syrian civil war is still raging, although the numbers of ‘citizen’ and professional journalists on hand to document it is woefully small.
How many more? CPJ remembers journalists killed covering Syria
On March 15 the fourth anniversary of the start of the Syrian uprising will be marked. No one knew in the early days of unrest how events would escalate, let alone how the entire region and the journalists covering it would be so deeply impacted.